MLB Player News

Knizner will serve as the Cardinals' top catcher for the next few weeks while Willson Contreras spends time at designated hitter and in the outfield, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Contreras has looked good offensively, but the Cardinals are unhappy with his performance on the defensive side and aren't going to use him much, if at all, at catcher for the near future. That opens up considerably more playing time for Knizner, though he's unlikely to do enough with it to have much fantasy value. In 197 career major-league games, he's hit .201/.287/.285 with eight homers.

Contreras will spend most of his time in the outfield or at designated hitter over the next couple of weeks, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

Contreras has been seen as a bat-first catcher throughout his career, but to see the Cardinals go from giving him five years and $87.5 million over the winter to not trusting him at all behind the plate a little over a month into his first season is quite a surprise. His framing numbers have been subpar this season, but presumably that's not a shock to St. Louis, as that's nothing new. It remains to be seen how often he'll play until he regains his team's trust as a catcher, since the Cardinals already have a depth chart crunch in the corner outfield and at designated hitter. Expect Andrew Knizner to see an uptick in playing time behind the plate in the meantime.

Barrera's contract was selected by the Cardinals on Saturday.

Barrera is a 28-year-old backstop with a career .231/.317/.315 slash line in 51 major-league games. The Cardinals didn't send down any catchers as part of the series of moves which accompanied Barrera's call-up, but with the team moving Willson Contreras out from behind the plate for at least the near future, Barrera may serve as Andrew Knizner's backup.

Knizner went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Friday's 5-4 loss to the Tigers.

Knizner got the Cardinals on the board in the third inning with his solo shot, which was his first homer and fifth hit of the season. He's supplied his two RBI over his last two games, and he's also added three runs scored while hitting .156 across 35 plate appearances. With Willson Contreras getting most of the starts behind the dish, it's tough to see Knizner getting consistent playing time.

Murphy went 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBI in Friday's loss to Baltimore.

Murphy poked an RBI single to put Atlanta on the board in the first inning. He later drilled a three-run shot in the eighth, but it wasn't enough for the team to mount a comeback. Murphy has been incredible to begin the 2023 campaign, slashing .296/.439/.653 with nine homers, eight doubles and 28 RBI through 121 plate appearances. All of those long balls have come during the last 22 games, during which he's hitting .333 (26-for-78).

Campusano (thumb) began catching pitches Friday for the first time since he went on the injured list, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

It's a significant step forward for Campusano, who has been on the shelf since mid-April because of a left thumb sprain. He was cleared to start swinging a bat earlier this week and seems to be tracking toward a return to the Padres sometime in mid-May. Austin Nola and Brett Sullivan are currently serving as the catching tandem for San Diego.

Wynns was activated to the Rockies' 26-man roster Friday.

Colorado claimed Wynns off waivers from the Dodgers on Thursday and will make him the new backup behind starting catcher Elias Diaz ahead of Friday's series opener against the Mets. Brian Serven has been optioned out to Triple-A Albuquerque.

Serven was optioned Friday to Triple-A Albuquerque.

Austin Wynns, claimed off waivers from the Dodgers on Thursday, will join the Rockies as the new backup to starting catcher Elias Diaz. Serven was just 3-for-23 (.130) with no walks and 10 strikeouts through 10 games this season with Colorado.

Alvarez isn't starting Friday against the Rockies.

Alvarez is batting .273 (3-for-11) over the last week, and he will get a day off Friday. While he sits, Tomas Nido will take over behind the plate and bat ninth.

D'Arnaud (concussion) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Gwinnett on Friday.

At last check, d'Arnaud was still awaiting full clearance from doctors to play in games. Evidently he has received it. The veteran catcher has missed nearly a month of action with concussion symptoms but should be ready for activation after knocking the rust off with a few rehab games.